Lawrence O’Donnell made his triumphant return to MSNBC’s “The Last Word” on Monday after recovering from a car accident and made a surprise salute to his long-time political opponent.

O’Donnell was off the air for two and a half months recovering from his injuries while on vacation. The liberal commentator observed that the first words he saw when he went to the hospital was “David H. Koch.”

“Yes, that David Koch,” O’Donnell said. “Now brace yourselves please for the first positive words said about David Koch on this program. I agree with Harry Reid’s critique of the Koch brothers’ contributions to American politics, but that is not the only thing they contribute to.”

O’Donnell said that the conservative billionaire’s contributions made a difference in helping those medically in need — including himself.

“You can be outraged by what the Koch brothers do with their money in politics and you can appreciate what they contribute to hospitals and medical research, and you can do that at the same time and still retain an ability to function,” O’Donnell said. “And so, yes, I feel some gratitude to David Koch.”